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Thursday, January 7, 2010

“The Christian life can be explained only in terms of Jesus Christ, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you- your personality, your willpower, you gift, your talent, your money, your courage, your scholarship, your dedication, your sacrifice, or your anything – then although you may have the Christian life, you are not yet living it.” – Ian Thomas

Yesterday I ended by talking about coming away with Jesus, that we need to reject what the world has to offer and follow only Him. And I will say again, this is extreme. Being totally set-apart from the world is difficult, but if Jesus is the first love of our life, then we will find this a joy to do.

But in what ways are we to be set-apart from the world? And how do I know if I’m not following the worlds’ standards for living? I recently read a book entitled, Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy. In the book she asked several questions that helped me answer whether I was following the world or Jesus, and I would like to share some of those with you.

Entertainment Questions:

- Have I been surrendering my mind and emotions to Hollywood’s ungodly messages?- Do I watch movies and shows that glorify darkness or perversion, mock God, or make sin seem noble, even in subtle ways?- Am I willing to use the time I would normally spend being entertained by Hollywood to further my prayer life and deepen my relationship with Christ?

Music Questions:- Do I justify my participation in the ungodly messages of secular music?- Do I idolize any music artist or music groups? (this applies even to Christian groups)

Internet Questions:- Do I allow the internet to influence me toward materialism, idolatry, or pop-culture preoccupation?- Am I addicted to the Internet (can you go without checking Facebook for a day?)

Magazine/Book Questions:- Do I read magazines/books that glorify darkness or perversion, mock God, or make sin seem noble, even in subtle ways?- Do I allow magazines/books to define feminine allure and make me preoccupied with my own body, my own style, and my own external beauty?- Do I lean upon magazines/books to give me the rest and refreshment that Christ wants to give me?

For me, these questions were incredibly challenging and Jesus showed me several areas that I needed to change for His glory. I hope these were as much of a help to you as these were to me. I hope also that you will allow Jesus to mold you into a set-apart lady for Him!

I appreciate Allison's honesty in sharing about the things that convicted her. I'll admit - these questions are penetrating and revealing! She and I both have a long way to go as we seek to be like our Savior and being totally set apart for Him, but we're thankful for the daily sanctification process and for the Spirit of God at work in both of our lives! It's a grand journey, isn't it?

With love,

2 comments:

Christina
said...

Allison, what a blessing and a challenge your posts have been! Thank you for sharing how the Lord is working in your life!

Having watched teen after teen leave our church for college only to be pulled away from what they have been taught, I'm very thankful to see a college student being challanged spiritually and showing forth the boldnes of the Holy Spirit to challange others! Thanks for your posts!

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About Me

Being a helpmeet to my husband is my first calling, given to me by the Creator of the family. I count it an honor to have served with him in the ministry these past 32 years. Though I didn't grow up in a "ministry" home, I grew up in a godly home where I accepted Christ as my Savior as a child. I watched my parents model love for Christ before me and I learned to love being in God's house and serving there. I love working in the ladies' ministry at BCBC and desire to help women understand, through the teaching of God's Word, their biblical role and find joy in obeying it.